


Saving You

by N1t3sh4d3



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Hiding Injuries, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt Shiro (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Lance is a self sacrificing idiot, Multi, Prompt Fill, Self-Sacrifice, Serious Injuries, Whump, Worried Keith (Voltron), romantic if you squint?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1t3sh4d3/pseuds/N1t3sh4d3
Summary: With Shiro hurt and the enemy close, the only choice Keith has is to let Lance pull off his idiotic plan.  It may save them, but at what cost?





	Saving You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eccentrick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eccentrick/gifts).



> This was done for [Lo-tor](https://lo-tor.tumblr.com/) for the [Langst Autumn Event 2k18](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/LangstAutumnEvent). I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I pulled several prompts from this fantastic [list ](https://ysande-jin.tumblr.com/post/158626024954/whump-prompts-which-are-close-to-my-heart-that). See how many you can catch. ;)

           "We should be getting close." Shiro looked around cautiously as they snuck up to the door. Keith and Lance kept watch while he used his handprint to open the door. Suddenly, alarms blared and a rumble shook the building.

"Pidge, you were supposed to set the bombs for _after_ we were heading back!" Lance complained.

"Wasn't me! Looks like they set it to trip with Shiro's handprint. You have about five doboshes before that section blows all the way!" Pidge's voice was thick with anxiety.

"Got it Pidge! You and Hunk get out of here. We're right behind you!" Shiro ordered.

           The noise had brought the clang of Sentries. Lance managed to pick several off before they got too close. Keith and Shiro ran forward and began fighting. Lance kept throwing nervous glances up at the ceiling, as more muffled explosions went off. The last one shook the floor hard enough for everyone to stumble off balance for a moment. With a roar Shiro slashed the last few sentries, missing the blow from the one behind him. Keith hacked it in half, as the blow struck Shiro’s back. Lance took out the last two.

           Keith scouted up ahead and waved the all clear as they started jogging out. Another loud rumble, closer than the last, shook the building. Chunks of the ceiling started to crash down and muffled yells from Shiro and Lance bounced back to him. As he turned to check, Keith cursed as he was roughly shoved into the wall. Shiro fell against him with a heavy groan. He thought he heard another yelp of pain come from Lance, but with all the noise he couldn't tell. After what seemed like forever, the rumbling and debris stopped.

           Once everything settled, Keith sat up carefully with a wince and took stock of their situation. His head throbbed a little and he felt bruised but otherwise fine. He could see Shiro next to him, who appeared to be breathing normally. A low yell of Lance's name was met with an affirmative. They were alive, which was a good thing. The bad thing, Shiro's leg was caught under some rubble and Keith couldn't tell exactly where Lance was.

           Keith began to check over Shiro. There was a deep dent in his helmet, where a chunk of the ceiling had fallen and some blood coming from his temple. Another dent where the sentry had hit. Keith shook his arm gently and got a moan of protest. He decided to see if he could get Shiro's leg free. As soon as the weight came off Shiro let out a pained groan and opened his eyes.

"How do you feel? Do you think you can put weight on it?" Keith asked.

Shiro blinked for a moment then let out a humorless chuckle. "I think I'll be okay. Just have to get the world to stay still and stop overlapping itself."

Keith scowled at him as Shiro cautiously got up and tested his weight on the leg. Keith grabbed him as it gave out as soon as he stood.

There was a slight scraping and Lance stood up. "You okay Lance?"

"Yeah, just a scratch. I'll be fine."

Keith looked like he was ready to argue when they heard the clang of sentry footsteps. "We need to get out of here."

           There was another clang as they tried to stabilize Shiro enough to move. Shiro tried to take a fighting stance but fell against Keith. Lance cursed and activated his Bayard. He stood slightly in front of them as the Sentries came into view and got several good shots. Then the Sentries blasts were coming too rapidly. The rubble kept them from getting any closer, but there were still too many to retreat all the way. Keith leaned Shiro against the wall behind a pile of rubble. With a curt “Stay here" he dashed forward, activating his shield and started covering Lance. Lance threw him a smile and went back to picking off the sentries.

Lance let out a grunt of pain as the last one fell but added, "That's it for these guys, but we need to get out of here. There are more coming."

Lance and Keith helped Shiro hobble down the corridor. “You’re gonna have to limp faster than that…”

“ 'm fiiiinne Laance.” Shiro slurred.

“Sure you are. You wouldn’t be in this bad of shape if you just knew when to quit.”

“We both know that’s something Shiro has no idea how to do anymore.”

Their chuckle at Shiro’s annoyed whine was cut short, as several sentries rounded the corner. Lance and Keith dragged Shiro into a small alcove and Keith hissed, “What do we do now?”

Lance set his jaw. “You two go on ahead. I’ll take care of these guys.”

“What? No! There’s like a whole platoon.”

“Chill out Keith. I’m only going to lure them over to that loading bay. It’s only going to take a few shots. I’ll be right behind you. Now, GO!”

           With that Lance darted into the hall and fired off a few blasts, effectively drawing their attention to him. Keith looked at Shiro for a moment, then decided not to waste the opportunity Lance gave them. Shiro needed a pod. They only made it a few feet when an enraged scream cut through the air.

“Get back here you assholes! I’m the one you should be paying attention to!”

           A few blasts hit near Keith’s head as he hauled Shiro around a corner. Keith glanced back to see Lance’s face a mask of rage and determination. Just as Keith wondering why some sentries would make Lance so upset, he saw several Galra commanders staring at them gleefully from the back of the group. They were staring at Shiro with unmasked greed and something close to desire. Keith cursed as he hauled Shiro back up.

“No! Need to help. There's too...too many.”

           “Shiro, they want you. There’s no telling what they are going to do to any of us. You're getting worse. Let’s do what Lance wanted and get to Red. I’ll come right back for him.” Keith grit his teeth at the thought but kept dragging Shiro forward. He knew that he should be helping Lance. Shiro was fading fast though. The frustration and helplessness gnawed at him. What kind of teammate was he to abandon Lance like that? What kind of friend? Then again, the way those officers looked at Shiro had made him nauseous. It was obvious they had wanted to turn him over to Haggar. Keith had a sinking feeling that if anyone was captured, their fate would be beyond terrible, especially Shiro’s.

           With Lance's distraction and the relatively empty hall, they made it to Red without further trouble. Worry gnawed at Keith. He needed to get back to help Lance. He also needed to make sure Shiro was safe and stable. This whole mission was a mess. He found that his helmet mic was working well enough to get through to the Castle. Pidge and Hunk started talking to Shiro and helping to keep him awake.  Once he was certain that Shiro was stable and comfortable in the back of Red, he dashed back to where they had left Lance. Keith hoped that he wouldn't be too late.

           Skidding around the last corner, he almost crashed into Lance. He was leaning against the wall, surveying the hall. Keith was aghast at the destruction. Sentries littered the hall. The Galra were hiding behind a broken door and several more sentries stomped into view. Keith was taken aback by the expression on Lance’s face. Disgust and hatred had been added to the rage and determination that was there earlier. It was more than a little unsettling. Shaking himself, Keith took advantage of the lull in the fight.

“Come on! Let’s get out of here. Shiro’s in Red and we need to get him to a pod.”

           “I can’t yet. I need to take these guys down. They are going to just track us to get Shiro back. You didn’t hear what they were planning! I can’t let that happen!” Lance glared at him furiously for a moment. Then he turned back to survey the scene, wavering slightly. Keith frowned as Lance leaned heavier on the wall.  

“You’re not up to this, you can barely stand! Let’s just get back to Shiro. I don’t want to leave him too long, especially if he’s in that much danger here.”

“I don’t need to be able to stand, I just need to be able to shoot. Your concern for me is misplaced, save it for Shiro.”

Keith charged his Bayard, “Fine, let’s do this.”

           Lance glanced at him in surprise, then nodded with a smirk. Keith darted forward as Lance fired steadily, managing to help take out anyone that go too close. Within minutes the enemy was taken down. They slipped away as silently as possible.

           They began the trip back to Red, creeping along the corridor and hiding around corners. Lance's reaction still confused Keith. He kept sliding glances at Lance’s face. It still held determination and some pain, but the rest had faded. Lance caught a few of the glances but only smiled. He decided as soon as they got to Red, he was going to get some answers. He focused on getting out as quickly as he could. As they reached the last few yards, Keith turned to Lance, determined to find out what exactly those Galra had said. That's when he realized Lance had trailed behind.

“You okay?” Keith called as he stopped at Red.

           Lance only smiled, waving Keith in. Once he was out of sight, Lance paused and touched his side, biting back a scream and tried not to crumple. It had been throbbing since the ceiling collapsed and a piece had bounced off of him. Taking a deep breath caused sharp, stabbing pain to course through his body. He tried not to wince, as he followed Keith into Red. Thankfully, they were back at the Castle in just a few doboshes. Coran and Hunk ran up to help Shiro down. Lance slowly followed them to the medbay, getting steadily more lightheaded. His side was aching terribly, but he heard the others scrambling to get Shiro into the pod. He stopped at the door and attempted one more deep breath to stamp down the pain. Trying to keep a calm facade, he entered the room just as Keith’s explanation of what happened ended.

“I don’t know… I’ve never seen Lance like that before. He was determined to take everyone out by himself.”

           “Heh, gotta be of use somehow.” Lance’s lips twisted into a smirk as he wandered closer to everyone. Keith bumped his shoulder good-naturedly, with a shake of his head. Suddenly, a cough wracked Lance. He tried to cover his mouth but froze when he heard Hunk stammer.

“Oh god… is that… _blood_?”

Lance looked at his hands horrified. He heard the blood pounding in his ears and swayed sharply as reality crashed down. “Shit Keith, why’dja have to do that?”

“I wouldn’t have done that if I knew you were hurt!”  Keith snapped.

           Lance wavered again and his knees began to buckle, but Keith caught him. “Hey, hey, hey. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”  Keith let out a sharp yell as his hand came away bloody and he saw the damage. “You whine about scratches, but you don’t let out a peep when you’ve got several gaping wounds! The hell is wrong with you??”

Lance looked up dazed, asking “How’s Shiro?”

“How’s? How’s Shiro? Shiro’s fine! You’re the one with the blaster holes!”

Lance just huffed a laugh as his eyes drift closed.

“No, no, no, you can’t close your eyes right now!”

Coran stepped over smoothly at Keith’s frantic expression. “Come my boy. Let’s get you in the pod.”

           Coran and Hunk helped put Lance into the cryosuit while Pidge and Keith kept him awake. They didn’t want to see what would happen if he was in full shock when they put him in. There were several seeping wounds where the blaster fire had pierced the soft areas of the armor. The deep purple on Lance’s side made them all wince. Definitely internal bleeding. They got Lance into the pod quickly after that.

           Keith tried to stay close to the pods but Coran insisted on checking him over. Once they were done, he left to get changed and got back as quickly as possible. He leaned against Shiro’s pod, staring at the ceiling. How long had Lance been hurt? Why didn’t he notice sooner?  They had gotten into the base relatively easily. It was on the way out that something had been tripped. The Galra appeared to have caught on to the trick of them using Shiro’s arm for access. Unless it had been a trap? Keith had been fairly sure Shiro had taken the brunt of the explosion, but now he wasn’t so sure. He knew the blaster shots were from Lance’s stupid idea. He had zoned out enough, that when Hunk and Pidge crowded around him, it made him jump.

“When’s the last time you ate? Or even slept?” Pidge demanded.

“I can sleep when I’m dead.”

“Nope. That’s my line. Hunk?”

           With that comment, Hunk dragged him to the kitchen. Keith wanted to fight, but he knew it was pointless. Pidge promised to keep an eye on the pods, as long as he actually got some sleep. Shiro was due out in another half quintent. They weren’t too certain how much longer Lance was going to be. Coran was being evasive, which didn’t bode well. Hunk sat next to him, making sure he ate. At first he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep anything down. Then he was starving as the first few bites hit his stomach. Then exhaustion started to wash over him as he finished and the last of the adrenaline dissipated. Hunk helped him to bed.

  


A few hours later Keith returned to the medbay. Coran smiled at him, “Good timing! Shiro should be out in just a tick!”

With that, Shiro’s pod hissed open and he staggered out. Hunk and Keith helped steady him.

“How are you feeling?” Hunk asked.

“Like I could sleep for a week. What happened?” Shiro said blearily.

“You don’t remember?” Keith was startled.

“Not too much. We were heading back and...there was an explosion? Or a blaster fight?”

“Both. An alarm got tripped and caused an explosion. We were almost ambushed, but Lance went back to hold them off.”

“Lance! Is he? Owwww.” Shiro jerked up frantically and tried to look around, only to squeeze his eyes shut in pain.

“He’s in a pod. He got hit with a few stray blaster shots. The most worrying thing was his side.” Coran told him.

Shiro squinted at him. “That must have been from when he shoved me out of the way. He got caught in some of the blast too.”

“What? I thought you pushed me?” Keith asked incredulously.

           “Not exactly. At first, I thought it was an accident, but thinking back he did it on purpose. He crashed into me sideways and knocked me into you. I ended up getting hit with a decent amount of the blast, but Lance actually got hit with some debris. Didn’t he tell you?”

Pidge rolled her eyes, “Do you even _know_ Lance? Why would he tell us that? We had to find it when we helped him into the cryopod suit.”

           Shiro tried to laugh but winced again. Coran fussed over him for a few more ticks, then ordered him to bed. Shiro tried to protest, but Hunk was already dragging him out of the room and demanding that he eat something. It was a testament to how exhausted Shiro was, that he didn’t bother to fight back.

Pidge turned to Coran, “All right. What aren’t you telling us about Lance?”

Coran looked a bit surprised but nodded slightly, “He was hurt much worse than we anticipated. He is healing, just slowly. I’m hoping we see some improvement in the next varga.”

“Or what? How are his vitals?” Pidge dashed over to check everything with Coran. Keith was almost afraid to interrupt, but Lance’s brows were furrowed deeply. He was moving slightly too. It almost looked like he was having a bad dream.

“Isn’t he supposed to be in a deep sleep or something?” Keith asked.

Pidge looked up surprised. “What, do you mean? Oh… that’s not right. What’s going on Coran?”

Pidge and Coan spoke quietly but quickly, then Coran made a few adjustments. Lance’s face smoothed out and he stilled. Pidge sighed in relief.

“It wasn’t picking up some of the damage. It looks like he had a mild case of anemia. That was preventing the pod from healing him as quickly. It looks like it should now only take another four quintent.”

“Yeah. Let’s go find something else to do for a while. Movies?” Pidge asked.

           Keith hesitated but Pidge grabbed his arm and dragged him to the lounge. She waved down Hunk and made sure everyone curled up together. Keith sighed in contentment. He was still getting used to being wanted and cared for. Coran woke them up, after what seemed like only a few minutes.

  


They made it into the medbay just as the seal was beginning to open on Lance’s pod. He staggered out and slumped into Hunk’s arms.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck.”

Hunk stood him up, “Let’s get you back to bed.”

“But I just woke up from the pod.” Lance whined.

Coran checked Lance over and then said, “You need more rest. You had some very serious injuries. Your body still needs a little while to heal.”

Lance pushed off of Hunk and tried to walk, “I’m perfectly fine Coran! See? Whoaaaaaah!” He stumbled a few steps before Keith caught him.

“You know, normal people listen to medical advice. You should go back to bed before you hurt yourself.”  

“Alright, you win.”

           “Oh and Lance? Don’t try to hide how hurt you are next time. We almost didn’t catch it in time. You may be a goofball, but you’re our goofball. We really do need you around.” Pidge said as Keith helped Lance out of the room.

“I’ll try to remember that, but I make no promises.”

“LANCE!”

He laughed as they headed to his room. When they got there, Keith helped Lance into bed. He looked at Lance seriously.

           “Pidge is right. Don’t hide things like that from us. We care about you and want you around.  We don’t want you to sacrifice yourself. I was so ready to kick your ass for that boneheaded stunt. It was completely unnecessary. We could have figured out another way. You’re really important to us. All of us.”

Keith tried to keep his voice steady. It had been too much. Too close this time. He almost lost Shiro _and_ Lance.

“Okay. I’ll be much more careful next time.”

“Thanks.”


End file.
